Doug A. Hamm

Long-term effects of high-fat or high-carbohydrate diets on glucose tolerance in mice with heterozygous carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1a deficiency

Background:Abnormal fatty acid metabolism is an important feature in the mechanisms of insulin resistance and β-cell dysfunction. Carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1a (CPT-1a, liver isoform) has a pivotal role in the regulation of mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation. We investigated the role of CPT-1a in the development of impaired glucose tolerance using a mouse model for CPT-1a deficiency when challenged by either a high-carbohydrate (HCD) or a high-fat diet (HFD) for a total duration of up to 46 weeks.Methods:Insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance were assessed in heterozygous CPT-1a-deficient (CPT-1a+/−) male mice after being fed either a HCD or a HFD for durations of 28 weeks and 46 weeks. Both glucose and insulin tolerance tests were used to investigate β-cell function and insulin sensitivity. Differences in islet insulin content and hepatic steatosis were evaluated by morphological analysis.Results:CPT-1a+/− mice were more insulin-sensitive than CPT-1a+/+ mice when fed either HCD or HFD. The increased insulin sensitivity was associated with an increased expression of Cpt-1b (muscle isoform) in liver, as well as increased microvesicular hepatic steatosis compared with CPT-1a+/+ mice. CPT-1a+/− mice were more glucose tolerant than CPT-1a+/+ mice when fed the HCD, but there was no significant difference when fed HFD. Moreover, CPT-1a+/− mice fed HFD or HCD had fewer and smaller pancreatic islets than CPT-1a+/+ mice.Conclusions:CPT-1a deficiency preserved insulin sensitivity when challenged by long-term feeding of either diet. Furthermore, CPT-1a-deficient mice had distinct phenotypes dependent on the diet fed demonstrating that both diet and genetics collectively have a role in the development of impaired glucose tolerance.

Lessons Learned from The Mouse Model of Short-Chain Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase Deficiency

The SCAD deficient mouse model has been useful to investigate mechanisms of deficient fatty acid oxidation disease in human patients. This mouse model has been thoroughly characterized and is readily available from the Jackson Laboratory. Using the new technologies of gene-knockout mouse modeling, we envisage developing additional members of the acyl-CoA dehydrogenase family of enzyme deficiencies in mice and furthering our understanding of fatty acid metabolism in health and disease.

Survey of genomic repeat sequence-PCRs that detect differences between inbred mouse strains.

We have developed molecular markers that distinguish between several inbred and congenic mouse strains using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of genomic DNA repeat sequences. Mouse genomic DNA, digested with four base recognition site-restriction endonucleases, was amplified by PCR using primers for the following repeat sequences: B1 (Alu homolog), LINE, LLR3, IAP, human Alu and myoglobin. Amplification products analysed by agarose gel electrophoresis and stained with ethidium bromide produced unique DNA fragments, some of which are specific for each of 12 strains tested. This method can be used for molecular analysis of the mouse genome, including genetic monitoring.